An analytical investigation of single actuator and error sensor control in connected plates

Vibrations in structures travel in the form of flexural and extensional waves, and transfer energy to other components of the system coupled to the structure. This may result in an undesirable system response or sound radiation. This paper presents an analytical and computational investigation of active control of the dynamic response characteristics of a series of rectangular plates coupled together and subject to point force excitation. The idealized periodic point force may represent the actions of vibrating mounted machinery such as motors or engines. Feedforward active control of the flexural waves in the plate configurations is applied to actively attenuate the structural response. It is shown that for L, T and cross-shaped plates, global attenuation may be achieved using a single control source and a single error sensor.